At
that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in
pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The
harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending
you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and
greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace
will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same
house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his
payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town
you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it
and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' Whatever town
you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 'The
dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you,'
Yet know this; the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more
tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

The
seventy-two returned rejoining, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to
us because of your name." Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like
lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon
serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will
harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to
you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

The
Christian life is a remarkable journey marked by continual conversion to
Christ. I suggest that there are three main stages on the journey: discovering
God’s love, allowing God to change our lives, and deciding to bring Christ and
His light into the world. All three stages are addressed in the readings from
sacred Scripture chosen for the 14th Sunday, Year C.

People
encounter God in a wide variety of ways: the good example of a believer, the
longing for something greater than what this world typically offers, illness or
suffering, the magnetic power of truth, or even a direct inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. One reality that is common to all people of deep, Christian faith is
that at some point they encounter God directly and come to know deep in their
gut that He loves them personally. They accept the reality that almighty God
actually wants to be in a one-on-one relationship with them.

The
prophet Isaiah uses the image of a mother and child to describe this intimacy.
“As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a
mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” God’s care for His children
is personal, tender, deep, merciful and everlasting.

Once
we encounter the living God and begin to savor His love, we are motivated to
change our lives. It is His extraordinary love that beckons us to turn from our
sinful and selfish ways and discover the fullness of life. His love casts out
fear from our lives and invites us to come face to face with the truth of our
human condition. The light of His love helps us to see our sins. The warmth of
His love helps us to admit them honestly, confess them regularly and find refuge
in His arms as we strive to root them out of our lives.

Furthermore,
we also are profoundly motivated to develop virtuous habits that help us to live
the truth in the face of life’s many challenges. Gradually, we stop living for
ourselves and start living for the Lord. St. Paul reminds us that faith changes
our whole perspective on the world: ”I never boast except in the cross of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the
world.” God’s love is the greatest motivator for lasting change in our lives.

In
this week’s Gospel, we see the significance of witnessing our faith to others.
Jesus sends out a group of 72 disciples in pairs to every place he intends to
visit. Jesus’ followers are to prepare the hearts and minds of nonbelievers to
receive Jesus when He comes to visit their villages. We cannot overestimate the
reality that Jesus entrusts His disciples with a critical role in the building
of His kingdom and the spread of the Gospel. Through the gift of faith, by the
example of their lives, and by words of encouragement, Christians prepare others
to encounter Jesus.

The
fact that this mission is entrusted to all of the baptized, not just priests and
consecrated men and women, was highlighted by Pope Benedict XVI in a homily
March 7, 2010, where he referred to the co-responsibility of all the members of
the people of God. This “demands a change of mentality, above all with regard
to the laity, moving from considering them ‘collaborators’ of the clergy to
recognizing them as truly ’co-responsible’ for the being and action of the
church.”

To
summarize, the Christian life is a journey marked by three stages: discovery of
the love of God, allowing God to radically change our lives and being sent to
let the light of Christ shine through us in the world. At what stage am I on
the journey? Am I giving Christ the chance to transform my life by spending
enough time with Him in prayer, sacraments, Christian fellowship and humble
service of my neighbor?